3 Films you need to see before you die!

Welcome to the ninth instalment of ‘3 films you need to see before you die!’ As you can probably anticipate, these lists will be unbelievably subjective and probably challenging for some people to read. With each small collection of films, I hope to shed light on the films that have captivated me in my own life and at the same time trying to sell them as an interest to you!

So, without waffling any further, here are 3 Films you need to see before you die! In my humble and biased opinion

1. If Beale Street Could Talk (2018) Dir. Barry Jenkins

Adapted from one of James Baldwin’s most famous novels detailing civil rights and the many struggles of African American’s in the 20^th Century. Barry Jenkins once again hits the mark with a profoundly beautiful and poignant piece of work. Tish (Kiki Layne) and Fonny (Stephan James) are two idealistic lovers who are soon to be parents for the first time. They are not married but you can understand almost immediately that they are deeply in love, something that only serves as heartbreak when Fonny is charged with a crime that he did not commit, with racial tensions being the motivation for his arrest. Along with Fonny’s unfortunate situation, Tish must juggle the contrasting views of both families with her rapidly developing pregnancy, all of this whilst trying to find a lawyer with a heart to care. Tish’s family is warm, genuine, and outgoing, Fonny’s family is hugely divided with the mother bounded by her belligerent religious views and a father who simply wants to see his son happy with whatever he is doing. There are many obstacles to overcome before they can even touch on Fonny’s false imprisonment. A truly organic, artistic, and stunning piece of cinema.

As history has been made one thing has always been lacking – black voices, and this isn’t to suggest that they aren’t there, they just haven’t been heard enough yet. James Baldwin however was one of the pioneers who has successfully subverted the traditional narrative, shedding light on the people, and the stories that need to be heard. As Baldwin’s raw talent appears in all of his novels, it is clear that no director could bring to life his talent through cinema quite like Barry Jenkins. Lifted by James Laxton’s colourful, and deeply cinematic camerawork, Barry Jenkins once again uses simplicity to his advantage to allow Baldwin’s magnificent material to shine brightest. Jenkins has always been able to create big emotion from the most simplistic of set ups, and I can assure you that there is no luck involved in this process. At the most basic level, he merely lets his actors perform to the highest of their ability with a ‘hands off’ confidence. 

It also wouldn’t be a Jenkins picture without a wonderful, atmospheric score. Through ‘Eros’, ‘Agape’, ‘Storge’ and many more, the score doesn’t simply exist as an accompaniment to the film, it blends into the picture as one beautiful, wholesome experience. All of this of course with great compliments to Nicholas Brittell in his second collaboration with Barry Jenkins since Moonlight (2016). I use the word ‘collaboration’ because it’s exactly the kind of process that Jenkins thrives on, he truly is a director of modern class, moving away from the classic Hollywood auteur filmmaking style. Barry Jenkins is a director who values other voices and knows that he can make the best picture when he is working together, not steering the ship on his own.

In Moonlight, Jenkins brought the arthouse to the hood, and with If Beale Street Could Talk, he builds on his arthouse style with a strong message and powerful, poetic performances. Kiki Layne and Stephan James are so believable and authentic in portraying their destined love story. Yet, it is Regina King who lays down an unforgettable performance as the forthright mother of Tish who takes it upon herself to fight for what is right. King deservedly won the Oscar for best supporting actress here and even though she has been turning in unforgettable performances prior to Beale Street, I still consider this to be the most iconic and career changing performance we have seen from Regina so far.

If Beale Street Could Talk is the kind of film that you could lazily label as all style no substance, but this would be so reductive and deeply missing the point. You have to watch this film with your eyes, your ears, but most importantly with your heart.

2. Days of Heaven (1978) Dir. Terrence Mallick 

The second film by the hugely distinctive director Terrence Mallick. Days of Heaven was the awakening of Mallick’s unique cinematic voice, a style that uses ambitious cinematography and philosophical themes to locate transcendence in the art form. Starring Richard Gere as Bill, a short-tempered farm worker who is in a relationship with Abby (Brooke Adams). To the outside world they appear as brother and sister and at the beginning of the 20^th century, take the journey south in search of employment on a Texas farm. Supervised by the farmer (Sam Shepard) an industrious, successful businessman, he effortlessly falls in love with Abby and admires Bill’s work ethic. When the harvest is over, the farmer invites Abby to come and stay with him and get married, At the same the farmer finds out that he has only 1 year to live. Seeking an opportunity to his fortune, Bill persuades his lover Abby to marry the dying man. However, things don’t seem to play out as expected, and as the farmer’s inevitable death doesn’t arrive as planned, cracks start to form in the plan.

Terrence Mallick’s indistinguishable career can be broken down into two parts quite easily, Early, and Modern. Badlands (1973) and Days of Heaven take part in the early sections of his career, and both prove to be key representations of his unique style that would be seen in The Thin Red Line (1999) and the Tree of Life (2011). Mallick indeed has an exceptional eye for cinematography and Days of Heaven was a real turning point for what we now come to expect from any Terrence Mallick picture – beauty. Mallick cooperated with Director of Photography Nestor Almendros in utilising natural light as a way of effectively portraying the time period. Shooting mainly in ‘Golden hour’ a time of the day where the natural beauty of the sun is at it’s most prominent. Mallick's unorthodox approach to shooting manifested into what is surely one of the most beautiful films ever made.

The film is also characterised by its voiceover that guides the film along it’s journey. Undoubtedly the on-screen dialogue between each character is limited, and this is purely down to 3 areas of the filmmaking process. The transcendent, raw voiceover that keeps the audience aware of the everchanging story, Ennio Morricone’s beautiful, atmospheric score, and of course the magnificent cinematography. I truly wish that I had the ability to see life the same way that Terrence Mallick does. All of the flaws, yet more importantly all of the beauty. A brilliantly unique voice that will be missed when he eventually ends his long career. 

This film can be seen as philosophical and mystic in it’s aims, yet to me this is a film made by someone who found an enigmatic feeling in something and discovered a way to portray it in a way that we can all experience. The pace of Days of Heaven is surely considered slow, but this is completely deliberate, a meditative encounter from a director who is unashamedly ambitious.

From the first moment to the last, this is a film that ignites each of your senses all at the same time. It opens you up to a new kind of cinematic experience, and from a film that was made in 1978, that is not bad praise at all.

3. The Sisters Brothers (2018) Dir. Jacques Audiard 

Another brilliant film showcasing the French-Canadian invasion on the Hollywood scene. In the 2010’s Denis Villeneuve has established himself as one of cinema’s most innovative and fresh voices, and as good as Denis is, we can’t forget about Jacques Audiard too. The Sisters Brothers is a western for modern times with all of the brilliant themes and tropes that the western genre has always traditionally brought to the table. The film grabs you immediately with it’s four leading stars. Eli (John C. Reilly) & Charlie (Joaquin Phoenix) are the infamous assassins tasked with the assassination of an 1850’s gold prospector Herman Kermit Warm (Riz Ahmed) and his unforeseen partner John Morris (Jake Gyllenhaal). When you see those 4 names you may worry that it could be all style and no substance, but that notion couldn’t be more wrong. It is a movie that is effortlessly displaying the western to its full potential. The brutality of the 19^th century American West and the beautiful vastness associated with the wild landscape, this is a powerhouse story and a filmmaking feet to be proud of. 

The Western is arguably Hollywood’s most traditional and most respected genre since its creation.  A genre that encapsulates the vastness of the United States, celebrating it’s natural beauty and exploring themes of loneliness amongst the toxic masculinity of the 19^th century American West. Personally, I can take or leave the abundance of westerns of the 1950’s & 60’s, what I’m truly enjoying is the emergence of 'The Modern Western’. The Sisters Brothers is the embodiment of this new style. A film that explores the rich landscape, highlighting characters on the edge of their societies, fighting for their basic right to exist in a truly dog eat dog world. It is exciting, yet scary, at any moment you understand the fragility of their mortality. How easily something can be taken away is very prevalent in this film, an undercurrent that works so well against the steady plot.

What is so admiring and intoxicating about the cinema of Jacques Audiard is his soft, slow burning story. You can lean in with intrigue as the characters delve into a narrative of brotherly love. There are bumps on the road like any good western, but as I’ve already touched on, the cast do genuinely elevate the picture to a greater level of acclaim. John C. Reilly is touching as the more thoughtful and ‘human’ brother, contrasted to Joaquin Phoenix’s drunken, erratic nature. Riz Ahmed plays the intelligent chemist with an eye for detail, but what is so undeniably brilliant is Jake Gyllenhaal’s portrayal of John Morris. A powerful performance of a principled man who switches sides from what he initially thought was his true aim. Thanks to these 4 strong performances, an intriguing screenplay, and invigorating cinematography, Jacques Audiard has managed to harness a true progressive look at the Hollywood western, and it works so well. 

Alongside all of the progressive praise for this revisionist take on the western, it’s important to acknowledge the film’s fun comedic absurdity. From Eli Sisters’ innocent enjoyment from trying out the many new technological advancements of the time like the toothbrush, or the very simple fact that the two assassin brothers are actually called ‘Sisters’. The Sisters Brothers offers a healthy nod to the past, with a celebration of the potential of the Western Genre in the modern landscape of cinema.

Director Jacques Audiard has managed to provide a stark comical drama, and he's achieved this with a reasonable share of bloodshed to match. Whether you believe yourself to be a fan of westerns or not, this one deserves some love and should definitely be a movie to see before you die.